U.S. patent application number 11/982529 was filed with the patent office on 2008-07-24 for pickup cleaning device with static electric bar/roller.
Invention is credited to Douglas C. Dayton, Sung K. Park.
Application Number | 20080172809 11/982529 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39639826 |
Filed Date | 2008-07-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080172809 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Park; Sung K. ; et
al. |
July 24, 2008 |
Pickup cleaning device with static electric bar/roller
Abstract
The invention is directed to a device used for cleaning up hair,
fibers and other debris from surfaces, furnishings and carpets.
More specifically, the invention relates to picking up such items
using a mechanized apparatus with a static electric charged bar or
roller and rotating gears that transfer torque to rotate a
collecting roller. The collecting roller picks up and stores the
hair, fibers and other debris that have been lifted by the static
electric charged bar or roller and deposits them in a collection
section of the device for disposal.
Inventors: |
Park; Sung K.; (Waban,
MA) ; Dayton; Douglas C.; (Harvard, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MINTZ, LEVIN, COHN, FERRIS, GLOVSKY;and POPEO, P.C.
One Financial Center
Boston
MA
02111
US
|
Family ID: |
39639826 |
Appl. No.: |
11/982529 |
Filed: |
November 1, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60856204 |
Nov 1, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/1.52 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 13/40 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/1.52 |
International
Class: |
A47L 13/40 20060101
A47L013/40 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for picking up hair, fibers and other debris on a
surface comprising: a housing; a handle connected to said housing;
two opposing wheels mounted to said housing; a collection roller
connected to said housing and disposed between said two opposing
wheels; a static roller connected to said housing and disposed
below and at a parallel, vertically offset position relative to
said collection roller; a stripper bar adapted to periodically
engage with said collection roller to remove hair, fibers and other
debris along said collection roller; wherein said static bar
obtains a static electric charge during back and forth motion of
said device along said surface.
2. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein a static bar is connected to
said housing and disposed at a parallel, vertically offset position
relative to a collection roller
Description
PRIOR PATENT APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a non-provisional patent application
claiming priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.
60/856,204 filed on Nov. 1, 2006, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The invention is directed to an apparatus used for cleaning
up hair, fibers, and other debris from surfaces, furnishings and
carpets.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Prior art cleaning apparatuses use a variety of methods to
remove hair, fibers, and other debris from a surface to be cleaned,
such as moving brushes, suction, and adhesives. Electric vacuum
cleaners often use suction and moving brushes to clean surfaces.
Vacuum cleaners are usually heavy and need to be plugged into an
electrical outlet to function properly. In addition, vacuum
cleaners typically require a supply of bags that must be replaced
from time to time to be effective, and long hairs and fibers can
become entangled in the mechanical parts of vacuum cleaners. Other
prior art includes lighter weight floor cleaning devices that are
quieter than electric vacuums. These, however, are designed to work
on solid hard floors, not carpeted or fabric surfaces. Lint
removers are typically designed in a small format, such as a
hand-held brush or roller, and can quickly become saturated with
hair and debris, losing their effectiveness. Due to their small
size, lint removers do not have the attracting and collecting
capabilities necessary for cleaning large surfaces or floors.
SUMMARY
[0004] In general, in an aspect, the invention provides a pickup
apparatus comprising a housing, a handle mounted to the housing,
two wheels connected to the housing, and a collection container. A
static roller is connected to the housing and disposed at a
parallel, vertically offset position relative to a collection
roller that is connected to the housing. A stripper bar
periodically engages with the collection roller and is adjacent to
the collection container. A pivot arm engages with the collection
container. The housing has rotatable drive wheels mounted on it for
enabling the housing to roll along a surface. Also, the rotation of
the wheels causes the collection roller to rotate.
[0005] Capabilities and advantages of the invention may include one
or more of the following. The static electric charged bar or roller
on the leading edge of a device may attract hair, fibers, and other
debris, lifting them from the surface to be cleaned toward the
charged bar or roller. This lifting may promote easier ensnaring
and collecting of the hair, fibers, or debris by a collection
roller. The static bar may be disposed below and at a parallel and
vertically offset position relative to the collection bar.
Unidirectional bristles along a surface of the collection roller
may comb forward at a rate faster than the forward motion of the
device and help to ensnare and gather the static standing
hairs/fibers onto points of the bristles. The bristles extend at an
angle from the roller's surface to maximize their engagement with
the collected hairs/fibers. Therefore, short hairs/fibers may
become collected entirely within the protruding bristles of the
collection roller, and longer hairs may become partially
intertwined. Hairs, fibers, and other debris may be collected
continually when the device is in forward motion.
[0006] When the drive wheels are rotated in reverse, the collection
roller rotates in reverse and a friction clutch engages a stripper
bar. The stripper bar may easily remove hairs/fibers by combing the
hair/fibers against the orientation of the unidirectional bristles
on the collection roller. Hair/fibers may then be collected in a
bundle along an edge of the stripper bar. When forward motion again
commences, the bundle of hair/fibers may be entangled by adhesive
covered flanges of the collection box and may stay attached while
more hair/fibers are collected. The hair/fibers and/or the box
containing the hair/fibers can ultimately be disposed of.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary pickup device
according to the invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the device shown in FIG.
1;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another exemplary pickup
device according to the invention;
[0010] FIGS. 4A-4E are cross sectional views of rollers of the
device shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 during operation; and
[0011] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a further exemplary pickup
device according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Referring to FIG. 1, in an aspect, the invention provides a
device 8 including drive wheels 10, a static bar 12, a collection
roller 14, a collection box 16, and a handle 18, which can be long
or short for use of the device 8 on any of a variety of surfaces,
such as, for instance, floors or furniture. Hand pressure exerted
on the handle 18 causes the drive wheels 10, which have high
friction outer surfaces 20, to roll against a surface from which
hair, fibers, and other debris are to be removed. As forward
pressure is exerted on the handle 18, the drive wheels 10 roll in a
forward motion, as shown by arrow 22 in FIG. 1, causing the
collection roller 14 to rotate via a gear train (as described
below). Movement of the drive wheels 10 powers the collection
roller 14 in the same direction as drive wheels 10, but at a higher
rotational speed.
[0013] The static bar 12 is disposed and attached to the device 8
at a parallel and vertically offset position relative to the
collection bar 14. In addition, the static bar 12 is preferably
offset below the collection roller 14. The position of the static
bar 12 relative to the collection roller 12 helps to ensure the
collection roller 14 will contact and ensnare at least some of the
hair, fibers, and/or other debris disposed along the static bar 12.
A plurality of unidirectional bristles 50, as shown on FIG. 2, are
disposed along at least a portion of a surface of the collection
roller 14. Each bristle 50 is configured to protrude from the
collection roller 14 surface at an angle, in a direction
corresponding to arrow 46 in FIG. 2. As the collection roller 14
rotates, at least a portion of the bristles 50 contact the static
bar 12.
[0014] The static bar 12 is electrically insulated from the
remainder of the device 8 and is composed of a dielectric material.
Therefore, the contact between the bristles 50 on the collection
roller 14 and the static bar 12 may produce a static electric
charge along the static bar 12. Also, contact between the static
bar 12 and surface over which the device 8 is moving, for example,
a carpet, may produce a static electric charge along the static bar
12. Once charged, the static bar 12 may attract hair, fibers, and
other debris from a surface beneath the bar 12 that causes hair,
fibers, and other debris to lift from the surface to thereby help
to make contact with the collection roller 14. The bristles 50 on
the collection roller 14 face in a forward direction and engage and
hold onto the hair, fibers, and other debris that the collection
roller 14 encounters.
[0015] When the device 8 is rolled in reverse, the drive wheels 10
and collection roller 14 rotate in the direction opposite to that
shown by arrow 22 in FIG. 1. The backward motion engages a stripper
bar (not visible in this view), which presses against the
collection roller 14 and strips off the hair, fibers, and other
debris that have collected on it. Such hair, fibers, and other
debris are stripped off the collection roller 14 and become trapped
in the collection box 16.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 2, the drive wheels 10 have an internal
gear 40 that drives the collection roller 14 through a spur gear 38
mounted to a roller axle 44. The collection roller 14 is connected
to, removable from, and rotated by the roller axle 44 with the spur
gear 38. A second spur gear 32, driven by the same internal gear 40
within the driving wheel 10, rotates a pivot axle 34. A pivot arm
36 is mounted on the pivot axle 34 that is connected to a friction
clutch 30. The friction clutch 30 moves the pivot arm 36 forward,
when the driving wheels 10 are rotating in a forward direction, as
shown by the arrow 46 in FIG. 2, and moves rearward when the wheels
10 drive in a reverse direction. The pivot arm 36 pivots to engage
with the collection box 16. The pivot arm 36 also pivots rearward
away from the collection roller 14 when the device 8 is driven
forward in collecting mode, as shown by arrow 46 in FIG. 2, and is
caused to pivot forward toward the collection roller 14 when device
8 is driven in reverse.
[0017] A plurality of unidirectional bristles 94, similar to those
on the collection roller 14, are disposed along at least a portion
of the front edge of the pivot arm 42. Each bristle 94 is
configured to protrude up from the front edge of the pivot arm 42,
as shown in FIG. 4E and described below. When the collection roller
14 rotates in reverse, the front edge of the pivot arm 42 is
pressed against the collection roller 14. The bristles 94 on the
pivot arm 42 strip at least a portion of the ensnared hair, fibers,
and other debris off the collection roller 14 and deposit removed
hair, fibers, and other debris in the collection box 16.
[0018] The static bar 12 is disposed on the front of the devise 8.
Made of dielectric material, the static bar 12 is electrically
insulated from the frame 48 and lightly touches the bristles 50 of
the collection roller 14. This contact with collection roller 14
may cause static electrical charge to build up on the static bar
12, which could cause the hair, fibers, and other debris to lift
from a surface and be more likely to be captured by the bristles 50
of the collection roller 14.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 3, in another aspect, the invention
provides the device 8 as shown and described with reference to
FIGS. 1-3 with the exception that the static bar 12 is replaced
with a static roller 86. The static roller 86 is disposed and
attached to the device 8 at a parallel and vertically offset
position relative to the collection bar 14. In addition, the static
roller 86 is preferably offset below the collection roller 14. The
static roller 86 is electrically insulated from the remainder of
the device 8 by a mounting 80 and is composed of a dielectric
material. Forward motion of the device 8, as shown by arrow 84 in
FIG. 3, may cause the static roller 86 to build up static electric
charge. Such build up can occur in several ways. The dielectric
material of the roller 86 rubbing lightly on the collection roller
14 and/or a surface, a carpet or fabric may build up static charge.
The roller 86, may rotate on an inner shaft 82. The outer surface
of inner shaft 82 may be covered in a material suitable to build up
a static charge, including, but not limited to, fur, synthetic
fabric, standing-weave fabric, and any other material. When the
outer surface of the shaft 82 is rubbed against the collection
roller 86, static charge may build along the roller 86.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 4A-4E, operation of the device 8 is
described. The device 8 is moved in a forward motion, as shown by
arrows 90 and 92 in FIG. 4A, toward hair, fibers, or other debris
embedded in a surface, such as a carpet, fabric surface, wood
surface or other surface. This forward motion can be accomplished
by manually pushing the device 8, or by motorized propulsion of the
device 8. The collection roller 14 rotates forward at a rotational
speed greater than that of the drive wheels 10, and the static bar
12 may be charged by its forward motion. In operation, the device 8
is rolled over the surface being cleaned in a back and forth
motion. The drive wheels 10 may be made up of a special material to
maximize its grip on the surface and to maximize the torque
generated by the device 8. The drive wheels 10 may have a
high-traction surface, such as rubber or a tread surface, including
knurled, knobby, or protrusions, to grip the surface being
cleaned.
[0021] When the device 8 encounters hair, fibers, and other debris
on the surface, the static electric charge on the static bar 12 may
attract the hair, fibers, and other debris and lift the hair up
toward it, as shown in FIG. 4B. This lifting promotes grabbing of
the hair, fibers and other debris by collection roller 14 for
removal from the surface being cleaned. As the collection roller 14
rotates forward, the bristles 50 capture hair, fibers and other
debris that have been lifted by static bar 12, as shown in FIG. 4C,
and start to wrap the hair, fibers and other debris onto the
collection roller 14. The hair, fibers and other debris are
collected and wrap around the collection roller 14, as shown in
FIG. 4D, as the device 8 moves forward. The device 8 then moves
backward, as shown by arrows 96 and 98 in FIG. 4E, causing the
stripper bar 66 to be engaged against the collection roller 14. As
the collection roller 14 rotates backwards, the unidirectional
bristles 94 on the stripper bar 66 scrape against the bristles 50
on the collection roller 14, removing the hair from the bristles 50
and into the collection box 16 where they are stored for subsequent
disposal.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 5, in a further aspect, the invention
provides the device 8 as shown and described with reference to
FIGS. 1-4 with a stripper bar assembly 62 as an alternative to the
pivot arm 42. The assembly 62 includes an internal gear 40 that is
integral with the drive wheels 10 and engages a spur gear 32. The
spur gear 32 is affixed to a drive shaft 64 on which a stripper bar
assembly 62 is suspended. The stripper bar assembly 62 is free to
rotate by a hollow tube 60 (or bearing or other mechanism) with
minimal clearance and low friction. The stripper bar assembly 62 is
engaged to the drive shaft 64 by a friction device that causes the
stripper bar assembly 62 to rotate with the drive shaft 64 so far
as it may before encountering an impediment which is a designed
part of the system. When the drive shaft 64 is rotating in forward
motion, in concert with the drive wheels 10 and the device 8, as
shown by the arrow 78, the stripper bar assembly 62 moves the
stripper bar 66 away from the surface of the collection roller 14.
When the direction of motion is reversed, the drive shaft rotates
rearward and pulls the stripper bar 66 and its frictional surface
68 against the collection roller 14.
[0023] In one configuration, a friction clutch to provide such
motion consists of an internally threaded cylinder 80 affixed to
the hollow bearing tube 60. The bearing tube 60 is drilled through
on the axis of the threaded bore so that a friction disk 72 bears
against the drive shaft 64, creating a frictional connection to the
drive shaft 64. The friction disk 72 is loaded by a coil spring 74,
which is also placed into the threaded bore following friction disk
72. The coil spring 74 is held by a set screw 76 or other threaded
fastener which, when threaded into the bore, compresses the coil
spring 74 and increases the load on the friction disc 72. In such
manner can the amount of friction be adjusted.
[0024] Having described at least one illustrative embodiment of the
invention, various alterations, modifications and improvements will
readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations,
modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope
and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description
is by way of example only and is not intended as limiting. The
invention's limit is defined only in the following claims and the
equivalents thereto.
* * * * *